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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Studio Saturday with Humblebeads

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

Please send Shannon an email with your address so she can ship this package out to you.

Before Bead & Button I did a series on my blog called 23 Days of Inspiration where I shared the story behind some of my favorite beads. I mentioned at the time I was working on a new collection of beads inspired by Gustav Klimt's paintings of Birch Trees. He visited the theme of birch trees in several different paintings, but the one pictured here is my favorite.

So my first beads in this series were literally a little birch tree trunk. I love faux bois (fake wood) patterns and this one worked out exactly as I had pictured in my mind. You know how hard that can be sometimes!

Another version of the birch tree trunk.

Disk beads in the color palette and pattern of Gustav's painting.

These 6-hole spacers were adapted from a few older canes that were on my table and I just happened to notice that they fit perfectly with the painting when paired together. (Canes are the long tubes of clay, layered into patterns & designs, that are sliced off into paper thin selections and applied to the base bead.)

These bezel pendants were made with the same pattern, on the back side is an etched brass bezel. Love them!

Here is peek of a necklace I created with one of the little tree trunks! You can see a few more photos of jewelry using my new beads later today on my blog.

Okay, so now we need the million dollar question - What season is your muse? I have to say mine is mostly fall with summer a close second.

One comment will be randomly drawn next Saturday to win this set of teal birch disk beads. Have a great weekend!

What an inspiring post this is Heather! I'm out of the gates with creating my own pendants and beads with clay. It was a long held dream of mine, and finally becoming a reality! I'm having so much fun! Learning a ton! So many great techniques.....

What gorgeous beads! I love trees and love that you were able to recreate the birch bark exactly how you pictured. Hard thing to do! I would have to say that spring is my seasonal muse with fall a close second. I am doing more botanical artwork (drawing) and love the new buds and flowers bursting through in springtime.

Definitely Fall is my muse season. I really struggle through the summer and get extremely excited at the very FIRST hint of cool in the air. October to be exact is my favorite month. There is a stand of small birch trees on someone elses property near my house that I have always wanted to get a picture of. I'm going to do it now.

It has to be summer for me: those bright, sunny, hot days just ignite certain colours for me, which I just want to wear! Summer means hot pink, turquoise, white, striking violets....along with some pretty funky patterns too. I feel I can get away with the floral and tribal prints a lot easier in the summer.

So I guess summer for me is about being bold, and that can trickle down into my jewellery and lampworking.

Steufel/Stephanie, I am so envious of you to have won that necklace from Sharon/MissFickleMedia. Congrats!

Heather, I loooove those birch trunks. Saw them earlier today in your Etsy shop . And I think I must buy them. Very soon. All of your new designs are beautiful!

Hm, seasonal muse? I do love the fall, it is my favourite season big time. But I don't know if I am actually so inspired by it in my design. I think spring more, or early summer. It is something about the greens of that period. I keep coming back to fresh spring green.

Fall, for sure. I love earthy brown, rust, gold, and olive tones. Kind of ironic, since we really don't get fall here in San Diego. We do have 4 seasons here, though--early spring, late spring, early summer and late summer. Love those 6 hole spacer beads!!Erin S

My favorite time is fall.South Carolina has only 1 or 2 weeks of spring,and they are gone before you realize it was spring.But long falls,sometimes past Christmas.I don't like living here,but I've learned to love fall.I love those spacers!They are just awesome!

I love winter...the more snow the better, because then the cross country skiing is great. Our last few winters have been neither cold nor sunny, so perhaps climate change/global warming may force me to find a new favourite.

Such wonderful earthy beads! My fave season is fall theres just something about fall...an expectation in the air! Coldish nights..the leaves blowing around and blankets that need to be freshened and pulled out!

I love the 6 hole spacers...so pretty! This is hard to answer...I think I feel most inspired in spring, but looking at my jewelry it would be summer. I use alot of summer themes and colors, although I think it is because I live in FL by the ocean! Thanks for the giveaway!

Because I live in only a 2 season area, with very little temp. change I would have to say my favorite for the rebirth of life would have to be the rainy season. (will begin any time now) it's that season that things burst into bloom and plants can grow feet in a day!!

i must say i absolutely love them.and they do remind me of a birch tree. i think i like them,because my dad,my brother and i planted a willow tree in our yard when iwas just oh maybe 5 or 6,and the tree and i grew up together,although we no longer live inthat house,i went recently went back to CA.,last Noc. with my older brother to lay our mom next to our dad.we went by the old house,and there stood that willow.i think planting that tree is why i love trees so much,willow and the mighty oaks,are my favorites.so,in response to your question.iwould say that my favorite seasonis a tie between fall and summer.ican't say one is more of a favoritethan the other due to they each hold a distinction of their own that draws me to them.thank you for giving all of us,your fans a chance to win a piece of your beautiful work.sincerely,barbara hopkins atnanniespiperdayle@yahoo.com

I'm always in awe of your ability to bring the beloved paintings into your beads! The "Starry Night" series is a "perfect" match, and now the birches, a special talent you have, Heather! My best season is summer, or any time you can be at the ocean. Fall is wonderful, but I feel free in the summer because I'm not cold! Thanks for the lovely chance for those teal beads.

For real there are colors in every season that move me..Icy blues, silver, and white of my christmas tree in winter....the rustic orange, red, yellows of the large maple trees in my home town during fall...the bright colors of summer vacations bring out my inner child... soft pinks and other pastels of spring so feminine. You are right..this is a really great question...and it is one that i have been asking myself lately..what is my color palette? Last month it was blues...this month it's bright pinks and oranges..who knows what my mood will be next month :)

I'll be sure to post in my blog about your give aways. They are fun :)

I would have to say that autumn is my first season. Oranges is my favorite color and it seems to be all around during that season. I do so love a good summer beach getaway the colors of surf and sand are so calming.